Qualitative description & statistics Flashcards
discrete variables
dichotomous = binary (female/male)
categorical = nominal ( bus, bike, walk)
ordinal ( very satisfied –> neutral –> dissatisfied)
discrete variables
dichotomous = binary (female/male)
categorical = nominal ( bus, bike, walk)
ordinal ( very satisfied –> neutral –> dissatisfied)
interval (i.e. differences are meaningful) = numerical
count
ratio ( height)
continuous (time)
measurement
precision vs accuracy
significant figures
describing distributions
univariate or bivariate
univariate
normal
uniform
bimodal
U-shaped
skewed
descriptive stats
measures of central tendency
measures of variation
shape ( higher moments)
measures of central tendency
mean, median, mode
measures of variation
range, variance and standard deviation, quantiles, percentiles, inter-quartile
shape (higher moments)
variance, skewness, kurtosis
confidence
standard error
confidence interval ( credible interval)
statistical significance
scientific/ economic/ clinical significance
likert scale example
strongly disagree–> disagree–> neutral –> agree –> strongly agree
( this data is categorical, ordinal, dichotomous, continuous)
accuracy
true. consistent with the truth or objective (unbiased)
precise
detailed, specific, having low uncertainty, highly resolved
measurement e.g. the flood water is 35 cm deep, plus or minus half a cm
when we measure something in science, we always provide an estimate of our confidence along with the measurement
estimation e.g. ospreys live on average 38.4 +/- 5 years
when we statistically estimate something that was not measured directly, or infer something about the world through our research methods, we must also calculate a measure of confidence for what we report
communicating precision = probabilistic statements
between 31% and 37% with 95 % confidence ( i.e., e [31%,37%] 19 times out of 20)
displaying univariate qualitative (categorical) data
tables, bar charts, pie charts
displaying univariate continuous data
histogram, box plot, kernel density estimation (carpet plot)
bivariate plots: two categorical variable
paired bar plots
how to visualize –> bivariate plots : one categorical, one continuous variable
multiple histograms, box plots
visualize –> bivariate plots: two continuous variables
scatter plots
univariate measures of dispersion
range
standard deviation: average distance from the mean, coefficient of variation, index of dispersion, interquartile range
measures of shape
variance, skewness, kurtossis, L-moments